Still have yet to find a better ramen place than Taishoken on Abbot. Easily the best Tsukemen in the city.
Vegetarian option is good. Service is fast. Place is always busy
This is primarily a dipping ramen place. This doesn't mean that they don't serve good old ship or shoyu - just means that the friends I have that like this place are defs dipping ramen people. I myself am not into the thick thick broth customary for dipping ramen so not my fave place. BUT. IT'S GOOD. Don't get me wrong - just not my thing but could definitely be a favourite for some.
3.8. The soup ramen at Taishoken is nothing to write home about. However, the dipping ramen is awesome! Make sure to order if you have never tried it before. The broth is thick with tons of flavour (both spicy and non spicy), and the noodles are chewy and bouncy. The pork and egg are excellent as well. We also ordered the gyoza, decent but tastes like Hon's gyozas. We would come back for the dipping ramen only. Prices are comparable to other ramen shops, and service is good.
Christine Eats Fewds
+3.5
Taishoken should be synonymous with tsukemen! After two years since our last visit, we decided to return for another round of dip ramen. We ordered two tsukemen in original and spicy, warm, and mixed with lean and fatty chashu. The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked, though the spicy version could’ve been a bit spicier. Unfortunately, service was not up to par with the food even though it was not at all busy. Waving somebody down to take our order, grab the bill, etc. was a bit of a struggle. Mixed feelings since our original visit, but the tsukemen is one to try as a summer alternative to a hot soupy bowl of ramen!
Yes. We,re Eating Again.
+3.5
I have fulfilled the foodies greatest obligation by introducing my 82 year old father to something new. To him, ramen meant cup 'o noodles but I think he has a different idea now. We were going to the Canucks game so Taishoken was close by. Apparently others had the same idea but the line outside moved pretty fast. Don't forget to add your name to the list hanging on the door. I ordered the Tonkotsu for Dad and the Miso for myself. Both were very good and the Chashu, egg and noodles were all tasty. We started with the Gyoza which was very good, being moist on the inside and nicely browned on the outside. My Dad liked the dipping sauce and wanted you to know that! Its not my top ramen choice but it is on a par with many places. Friendly, not uncomfortable and you could do worse in the area.
Reservation Under Cindy
+4
Taishoken Ramen is located in ‘Crosstown’ between Gastown and Chinatown best known for specializing in tsukemen. A couple of years ago, this style of ramen was almost unheard of but immensely became popular within the last couple of years.
It was perfect on a snowy day. The ramen warmed me right up. The broth was nice and rich and the pieces of cha su was delicious. The only problem would be the setting. First come first serve style. So make sure everyone from your group gets there on time or else you won't get to sit together.
When I’m in Japan, one of my favourite things to eat is Tsukemen. I have yet to find a version in Vancouver as good as the ones I’ve had in Tokyo, but the one I had at Taishoken comes pretty close!. Seating is very cramped in this small restaurant, so I wouldn’t recommend coming with more than 4 people at one time.
Taishoken has gotten a lot better over the years. From bland to flavourful. They're known for their tsukemen (dip ramen) but I personally like my noodles already in the soup. I've had their Tonkotsu original and Karamiso Tonkotsu ramen - both were good but overall their ramen is heavy and afterwards I have to go eat some fruit and drink tons of water. The best part of their ramen is their chewy ramen noodle and fluffy chicken collagen texture in their Tonkotsu soup base. Reminds me of Marutama's chicken based ramen but without having to go all the way down to the West End.
Taishoken has changed quite a bit since it's opened up, but the ramen is still good. They have a few sister locations around Vancouver as well. Even if there's a line-up outside, the service is quick and you'll get seated quickly. You don't want to be standing outside for too long. I saw a man get stabbed on the corner near International Village while I was waiting outside. Anyways, don't let that deter you. The ramen is A+ and it didn't give me the runs afterwards. 4/5 stars.
I have been going here for ramen for quite a while. It's my favourite one in Vancouver, especially for Tsukemen. So far, I haven't found a better place in town. The only downside is how small the restaurant is. The only way to avoid the lineup is to hey there before they open. Otherwise, everything is great.
We came right at opening, 5, and people began to roll in immediately. We ordered and got our soup very quickly (5 minutes). The server was lovely and friendly and made the experience. Good flavour, noodles were good too, my egg was cool on the inside. But no complaints other than I would prefer a warmer egg, tho it was nice to get a full egg. While it was good, I would have preferred some additional flavour layers and colour (throw in some ginger, corn, carrot, cabbage).
Had the Tonkotsu ramen. The broth was very thick and rich. The noodles, pork and garnishes were good. It was still light outside but it seemed quite dark inside. The music was not great, some of it seemed out of tune.
This place got better. Haven't been back for years as there were always better options for tsukemen. Noodles were firm even when ordered warm, soup was no long clumpy although it is a bit salty for my taste. I had half and half pork belly/shoulder - Avg. Pork was a bit tough. Would definitely come back
Out of an admittedly small sample size, this is the best tsukemen I've come across so far in Vancouver. They have the option for hot noodles which I vastly prefer even if cold noodles are supposed to be what's typical. The soup is thick and actually sticks to the noodles (Menya Itto's soup is much too thin imo) and it's flavourful without the overpowering fishiness I often find with tsukemen. Egg was perfectly boiled, really liked the seared pork belly as well (shoulder was alright but had quite a lot of connective tissue which wasn't very appealing. Would go with 2 slices of the belly next time)
Best ramen I ever had!
I can really recommend this place if you look for some good ramen made with heart. Sides are also pretty good.
Would come here often probably, what a pitty I don't life here haha.
Update:
After two more months of travelling in Canada and more ramen in different places I can still say those were the BEST!!
I was there today again and ordered for take out before leaving Canada tomorrow. The nice lady at the counter packed a free cola and a nice message in the bag. I discovered it only later when unpacking it. The joy was so great! Thank you very much!! :)
Tasty and surprisingly affordable. We came in at 6 PM on a Sunday, but it still had lots of seating available.
The chain is also based in Japan, so it's authentic ramen as well.
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